What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

- Langston Hughes

Have you ever been around someone who never fulfilled their goals and dreams for their life?  Well unfortunately, I have.  In fact I can say with almost certain confidence that we all have at one time or another.  These people are often people who had extreme talents, gifts and abilities that they either never fully developed or somewhere along the way, lost confidence in.

The unfortunate thing in life is that often times people do not have a support system around them that not only encourages them to be great but offers the support system and DEMONSTRATES how to be great. Many people surround themselves with people who have a (for lack of a better, more accurate word) loser mentality.  These people are defeated before they even start.  They will go to great lengths to tell you why something won’t work.  Why you can’t do that…and basically do everything that they can to keep you stuck in the same place where they are.  These types of people very likely had their own dreams and confidence snatched away from them by someone else over the course of their own lives and either unconsciously or consciously will try to destroy your ambition and hopes for the future.  Nowadays we generally refer to them as haters.  The funny thing is sometimes we don’t recognize that the biggest haters and enemies to our success are so often our own family and close friends.

So my challenge to you today is threefold:

a) Take a look at the company that you are keeping.  Are you surrounding yourself with people who are challenging you and helping you grow as a person? Are you hanging out with y people who are striving to do better in life and are working at it everyday?  Are they people that talk about how they will do something  ’when their ship comes in’ – but they are never working to go build that ship?  Do the people in your life hate on your goals and dreams and try to keep you from trying something different in life?   Take a cold hard look at the people that you are closest to and remember that you are the people that you associate with.  If you don’t like what you see, I suggest you make some changes and you make them quick!

b) If you knew that there was  NO WAY POSSIBLE THAT YOU COULD FAIL, what would you be doing right now?  Where would you be living?  What would be your activities on a daily basis?  Who would be there with you? If you were to die tomorrow, what would you like to be remembered for?  Based on your life as you live it today, would those around you remember you for that thing? (Take some time to write this down)

c) Start paying attention to what you spend your time on.  So many of us spend our time and energy on irrelevant things that mean nothing to getting us further along in life.  So many people are stuck in party mode and then turn around one day and can’t figure out why they have not accomplished anything in life.  After you have written down  what you would be doing with your life if failure was not  an option, start looking at what you can do today, to bring your goals to fruition.  If you find yourself engaged with people and activities that do not support your goals then you need to let that go.  Remember whatever you focus on is what manifests in your life.  If you focus on nothing…well, you just manifest nothing.